Feed-change mechanism for lathes



July 18, 1933.

W. F. GROENE FEED CHANGE MECHANISM FOR LATHES Filed May 18, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Wmmm Greene BY I ATTORNEYS t Patented July 18, 1933 We? w. 1

the device's whichfeedthetool to the :work';

' gure 2 is' a front elevatidn of the ca rie'g e audits apron .em'body-ingmy improvements, interiorly located parts of whichflre general lyjindi cated dotted 1ines,tnd,also. showing adjacenhp'aits of th e bed, re ck, lead screw and,

feed i'od," BLIId ShQWii1g "the v fcross-fe ed j Screw but omitting the handle thereof as well as th'el v v 'iS aLp aIitiaI horizontal cross fsecef Figure 41s a' Similar sectionon the plane of ustlallysnppo'rtedtbythelithe carriage-and.

ih pt ly lb eki l nf hi a tn e a r f object "of invention itoincorporate mechailis inof character in a v compact. I la'sse'mbl'yfwith -coinf)eratively s irnpleand in- 1 expensive con'strlictionfsnitedto small lalthes of good quality but "sold it} 'a comparatively lowf pi'i ce, V I j Othei'hbjects will appear inithe'co ur se of the' following description,illustrated by I positionsbeing held in each' by a, spring dethe accompanyingdrawings, in which- I Figurejlfis 'a ge riejral perspective" 'viewof tin enginet'lathe of'a type in which my impl ovementis; most edvantageo jislyf used as above ex'pminea, showing'thecar riage audits, cross feed and apron withsaid improvement embodiedthereinl Figure .3.

the line of Figure i Figure 5 is; zi' partijz i l yertice l f ront -toi-eeiri section on the planeof the of ig-f pr l s i i Pe b t e top 9 h l a r iage in Vertical cross Section on the plane of'the line" hf Figlire but omitting} the rackl'and bed," v

Mounted onthe iront 'o'fthe bedandeXtendQ 6. ing through'th'e apro s, depending 'from the front of the cafriagei3,is theiisuallead Screw 1931, Serial No, 5 5 g] 1 Ga ndthefeed rod-7, dlsivninthau ta1mm;

neffromthe gearing in the head" stock 4.

havinga unitary-rearwardly extending c0n-.

or pinion; 14; these gears having a" running Mounted"on zfireztrwardly extending Stl id' in the :ipron 8, a bevelge'ar 9", this; geaIf" fiLILIlI AMUrQGRoEfiE, OFhCINC INNATI, omo, As sIe oR moL- TnE-iz Ax. Linton);

MACHINE moon COMPANECQOF CINCINNATI, homo, =Af QOIRPQQRATION 1017 0310' i t centric Wide facedspm: gear 10; pull pin 1'1;is"inounted froin front tq'ljeay inabearing 12, and has on itsinwerd end a Sp n" gear 13', "and fa' second concentric} s'mall spur geuf fit on a redlicedportion of the pull pin 11, and I being held thereon by'a'niltlilthe"geal l3 being invines'h with wide faced gearlO. The pnll pin 1 1 isicapableofedjilstmentjto'thiiee ter it plu nger 16 (Fig. eaiting itself injany and=14in a; of in e niddle neutral position. I

(urajfi ontYto rear axis, Fixed .oh this stud ShaftjL-dre a sp'ufgeu" 19 1 1111 3 "smalle 'freai' i Wheel 24. the pull p in holding the gem-S; 13 and 14 inthe middle or neutral posigears '22 19311 120 with ther'ack 21.;

apron 8, is? lever 26, hztvingt a handlezl for manual operation and a spring detent pin 28 for holding .itfin selected positions the end menu sidewifse.

31 which engages ina slot 32in the hill 33 Fixed in; p isfleyei ififa 'ihift iifsoeii tending jinthl oughtefi S1011 30a. in the aprori- 8 and carrying on its rear enda shifter shoe ofthe bevel pinion 34;. When the lever is: shiftedto the left the bevel pinion34ti "39,

tion,the c'gt' 'riagegand'lap ron 8 ca n hexmanm' ally traversed along the bed injeither: direci-Q tion, by theturningof hand whee124, thr on gh kind coactio'n of the letter i Mounted-"to rock on a lmd '25 fixed in the:

of the detent'ipin entering locating deptesj-f ifojr s 2 :Th j iw i prqvi eaya pai of stop piin' s '29ia f0? lilniting the 'a' i 'c f-inove;

- meshes with the bevel gear 9. I

carried to the left bythe shifter pin 30 and carriage, the pull pinll is moved inward the feed rod 7.1

to itsinnermost'or rear position of detent, thus bringing-gear .14 into mesh withgear 19 and. thus with the rack 21 by 'gthe rack gear 20, j so that axial feed is derivedfrom the feed 1 rod 7.

If, however, it be desiredt'o' feed. the cross slide (not shown) onthe carriage, then the pull pin is pulled-to its outward or front position of detent until the gear 13is in'mesh with gear 36 which isfaston thezcross feed screw 36. which, is then a It is thusfseen that iis .iinpossiblej forthe operator to throw the carriage feed and the cross slide feed in at the same time, avoiding spoilingo'f work as sometimes occurs Wlllll:

out this safeguard. The bevel gear 34has'its 'hubj33 'rotatably] mounted in thebearing block 37 fixed on the rear face of ,the apron 8, with its front open to admit and allow the:

horizontal movement of theshifter 30. In thetopof this block, 37 is a half round transverse groove 37 in whiehthe lead screw Shears; Thejhalf nut 38 for engagement withthelead screw 6 when chasinga thread is movable up and down in a dovetail slot 39 in the rear side of the apron' 8. Thebear ing block 37 is fixed 'in the lower. part of the slot39 by pins 39, as shown in Figure 64$ A Secured in apron 8is a Stud 40 onflwhi'ch" v swingsa lever-'41 controlled as to its positions by-a friction bushing 42 around the stud j40.'x I I carriage axially of the work; 'and 'sinoe for,

Projecting rearwardly from the lever 41 is a pin 43 passing back through avslotj44 in the wall of 'apron 8and entering a horizontal straight slot 45 opening forwardly in the front wall of the half'nut' 46. This, straight slot'45forms cam surface for-the pin moving'along 'an arc whenxtheflev'er 41 is moved upward or'downward. When moved downward the lever meshes thefhalf; nut 38 withthe lead screw 6, and when moved up-- ward it lifts thehalf nut 38 free of th'e'lead screw.

'ecured tothe lower. portion of th'e half nut 38 in a slot 46 in the top of. the bearing block 37 is a pin 47. "This pin .47 when the half nutj46, I i sat its lowest point and in en j gagement with the lead screw6 isin the path of movement of the shift pin 30' and serves as a lock preventingrneshing ofthe bevel gear'34 withfthe bevel gear 9, an'dthu s'preventing driving of the cross feed fronrthe' v J-unitcoacting with the rack 21",t'her'e canbenof feed rod 7. V i i This arrangement-prevents any possibility of theoperator throwing. in the longitudinal driven by the gear from" and cross feeds during the engagement of the nal feed is in, the half nut cannot be lowered to engage the lead screw, since the pin 47 will half nut with the'lead screw for cutting a thread, and, vice-versa, when the longitudistrike the shift pin30 and prevent thehalf' nut moving downward far enough toengage the lead screw threads.

i The top seat or groove '37 in the bearing block '37 prevents any distortion and excessiveiwear of 'the'leadscrew 6 by the engage- 11181117 Ofthe half nut-38 therewith, thereby' maintaining the accura 6 for cutting threads.

With the constructionab'ove described,

for instance a thread is to be cut, thehalf nut Cy 'of the lead screw? f 38 is lowered by, raisingthe lever 41 tomesh with the lead screw: 6. It will be possibleto lowerthe half nut 38 only if thel' shift pin30 is .at the, rightend of its travel allowing the pin 47 on the half nut to pass down beside the pin 3,0 as seen in Figurefiwith the bevel gear, 34 out of mesh.with'the bevel-gear9 asseen in.-Fjig'ure.4 so .thatthe train of gears which would ,conneot the feed rod 7.withthe cross feed or rack feed. is: disconnected from the feedrod'and the cross feed maybe set byhandfto cut the thread in the usual manner. I V Or'suppos'e that alongitudinal power feed is desired for plainturning, the half nut-38 must be raised byfdepress'ing the lever- 41 to,

withdraw the pin 47 out of the path ofthe v pin30 to permitnies'hing of the. bevel gears x34 and9; and the spur gears 13 and 14 will he slid' inward with the 'plung ei .16 in the v innermost notch 17 sot-hat the smallerone-14 of these gears will mesh with theilargei' gear '19'of'the'third unit;.-tjhe smaller gear 20 of this nnit being constantly in mesh with ,the,

rack 211'" Thus the feed rod c'anj drive the is e h n f h se s H n a e ear 13 cannot be in mesh with the gear 36fo'f'the cross feed, there is no possibility ofjthe opr a'tor running the cross feed in orout' by power inadvertently during suchplain tum;

mg Such setting of-the'crossfeed of course remains possible manually by use of thecross feed h'a'ndles where" di erent diameters of plain turning are to be'made; Y

pp g hat the workv is to befacd by I feeding the tool at an angle to the axis of the larger gear 13 of this 'withthe-cross feed'gear 36; and as this meshing makes imfpossible the meshing of the smaller "gear' 14v of this unit with thelar'ger gear'19'of ,the'f a'Xi'al movement of the carriage and the cross 'feedther'eon by power due to inadvert-i mam l I enceeof; the operator, However, since, the 1. Injlatherinwhich#theregisjakcarriageji i and an aprondependihg froni athe carriage and mechanism-bin back of; said :apronl coinprisinga feed screw, a teedrodbelow the'fee'drj screws and a set :ofgtool feeding, gears f'sup ported-in said apron on front-to-rear aXeS, in

pinion 22'ofthehandwheel Qftmeshes with theugear ,19 of "the rack ,feeding unit, axial movement of the carriage may be mademan ually by turningthe hand wheel 24.for ,fac-aingin different planes. i

q upp'ortingthat the operator desires toz manually operatelboth the rack feedand the cross feed, the gears 13 and 14- maybe :placed. in neutral position as shown in the'drawings' relieving the operator of the dutyiof turningthese gears 13and14 and thewide.spur'geari" 10 and bevel gear 9. It will beseen that the operator may .work inethis way with the gears 13and 14 neutral even if the bevel gears 9 and 34 are meshed whichwo uld practicall lock against the manual operation of the rac feed and cross feed were either slidable gear 13 or;14 in mesh: withthe rack feed ear19 joor the cross feed gear 36 respectively ecause i the operator would be attempting to. turn the feed rod-7 which of course is connected to the train of driving gears atthe head of the lathe and isvery hard toturn inthis manners l Q e Notwithstanding the variety of relations which may be thus created between the various operating elementsof the lathe and the carriage,the entire mechanismall is contained, within and upon an apron of very. limited dimensions, appropriate for ,a small inexpensive lathe; and because the hand wheel 24, the knob of the pull pin 11, the handle 27 of the lever 26 and the handle'of the lever 41, v are all close together on this relatively small compact apron, the manipulation of the lathe isrendered very convenient. Also as the result ofthe compact arrangement, the necessary movement of any of the parts is very small which also adds to the convenience of manipulation as well as permitsthe varii the bearing block '37 threadloss, also permits:

ous parts to be ofcomparatively heavy and sturdy construction and permitting a high degree ofaccuracy for such aninexpensive) "lathe. The use of the half nut 38 with threads, while leaving the depression 37 in of desirableaccuracy in the lead screw con nection without undue expense since the necessity of accurately aligning-the threads oi two'difierent members both accurately to" fit the lead screw 6 isavoided; and the un-f threaded depression "37" affords a suflicient support for the lead screw with relation to the nut 38 with ample bearing between it and the tops of the lead screw threads as durable as therest of the bearing parts of the apron construction. i e g I have illustrated and described my invention somewhat specifically but it will be understood that various modifications may ocour within the scope of my invention and that I am not limited to such precise disclosure but what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is: 1 a

verseslot. a i a. V 3. Alathe as setfo'rth in claiml, in which ,6. Ina lath in "which there is a B bevel e and a bevelPin On having.az halfvbearinglinyits top. "supporting Said feed screw, a'ha'lf nutslidably' fitting in: e i a 7 said slot to shift up and downfoutofand nto ,j j, o

mesh with said feed screw, and devices mov- 2. A lathe asset forth in claim 1", in whi'ch the half nuthas a transverse slot in its front and the device for shifting said half nut com-{ prises a projection engaging inv said transthepinion hub has an annular groove therearound within the bearing block, andthe' f bearing blockhas an o'peningin its front, and i the device for shifting the pinion comprises I} 1 means extending back throughsaid opening'q, a,

and engaging in said hub groove. a 4; A; lathe as set forth in claim 1, in whichthe pinion hub has an annular groove'there:

Spline IonFthefeed rodto shiftinto o'routj of' mesh Twith said bevel gear and having anextended hub, said; apron. having a. vierticalv slotinitsbackwithundercutsides,a bearingl blo'ckfixed-iiisaid slotandjfitting said'isidesi" thereof; and embracing said'pinionihub and I v able on front to-rear axes insaidapron, one

around within the bearing block, and; the

bearingblock has an openinginiits'front and i i an opening in itstopextendng into its front opening,andthe device'fo'r shifting th i ion comprisesa projectionextending back I Op i g nde ga ingti a a said hub] groove, and the halfn uthasafpro i jection extending down through said top i opening toenter thezpath o f thepini on-shift;v 1 'ingprojectionlwhenqsaid h'alf nut ismeshed x with said'feedscrewfj through said front '5. A lathe comprisinga carriage'andan K' 'e -=apron having a slot with under cut sides, tool'- L feeding gears on front-to-rear axes onsaid i apron, a feed-rod todrivef'said "gears, a'ifeed screw to'feed said carriage, and a bearing'fo-rthe feed rod' and feed screw,-slid intoisaid] i and an apjrondepending'from the carriage carriage a 12o i i andfeeding mechanism in back of said apron T l vcomprising a feed rod, and a pinion 'splined on the feed rod to shift into orfout of mesh jl i with part of said mechanism, a bearing block I on the back of said apron, embracing and al-' i V I lowing sliding of said pinion, said apron and said bearing having i an aperture openingf i through the front of said apron, and'operating means on the front of said apron, extend ivv ing back through saidflaperture and operaf tiyelyiengaging said'pinionwithin saivbeef-,

' ing block, to shiftisaid pinion; m 1;;

I q 7 lira, lathewimwh-ichsthere 's:wbarriage and ianl aprnide p'endi ng from Zthe' carriage and feeding medhanismuinbaek. of said: apron comprising a -feedasc reW,"afeed -1O d, a-ndm; .pin ion splined =n the feed rod to shift, in'tO or Out of meshiwith part Of saidi mechanism,"- av bearing b1ock' on the baCknf' SLid a proin 1 embracing and. allowing; slidingl-of the. pin-w ion; -said-; apron and said bearing having "an aperture;opening through the frontnf the zipronyand saidibearingblock having an zipertureppening from its'fronfi"aperture to 7 1'7: T 1

Ward the feed screw, bperating nieans'on the front of th'eaprom extiandihgjbaick throughi 'said aperture and operatively engaging said pinion Within saidbearingvblock, to shift said -pini0n'","fand vmeans movable on the "back of said apron to mesh with 01' unmesh'fromsaid feed screw and having: a; progeetgion'jahrdugh the mechanism;

ILmM' -IGB EN th'escond-mentioned bearing block aperture;

to obstruct meshing: of the; pinion when the" means is {inmesh with the 'feedscrew b1 eh struct meshing with the lasbmentidned means when the pinion is iii-mesh iwith said' part-of 

